


Are you happy?

by echoflowertea



Series: Living [12]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Reader Is Not Frisk, reader is female
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-06-09 00:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6881476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/pseuds/echoflowertea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You never thought this day would come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Are you happy?

**Author's Note:**

> like my fics? you could always leave me a tip!
> 
> i update this series **tuesdays and fridays**!

You worried about Sans. Like, a lot. More than what was probably socially acceptable.

If you ever hovered over Papyrus like that, he would’ve given you an earful about how you shouldn’t be babying him. He was pretty sensitive about being considered an adult these days, as a lot of people on the surface tended to infantilize him.

You couldn’t help it. After knowing Sans for so long, and recognizing how he just sort of…let things slide in his life, you had to know he was okay. Sans spent a lot of his life alone Underground. He told you snippets about times before the two of you met. When the kid Frisk came in and gave everyone hope. How it was snatched away the day that they faced off against Asgore. How the talking golden flower killed people for fun and tormented him through various lifetimes, slaughtering just enough people that he had to stand up against them and end their sick, sadistic games.

Sans had been through a lot.

Every one of the monsters had their hangups. Their...skeletons in the closet (no pun intended). It all had a lasting effect on them. 

Alphys never told you about what sort of things got her nearly fired from her position as scientist once Toriel took over again. 

Undyne didn’t explain how she knew so much about human injuries whenever you showed up with an old bruise or healing cut. 

Sometimes you wondered if Papyrus ever realized just how powerful he really was, and just where that sort of strength and control could come from.

You didn’t even want to get into how traumatized Toriel had been with the loss of her children over and over and _over_ again.

Sans didn’t open up as easily as they did. He was even more guarded. He had a tendency to deflect things with a smile and wink. And most people would’ve been fooled by that. They would’ve been content to take his word for it.

For a time, you did, too. It wasn’t until you became close that you realized that a lot of his optimism was forced and fake. Something forged from lowered expectations and a sense of hopelessness. 

You weren’t going to sit there and say that you would make things all better. That was unrealistic and insulting to him and his issues. But you could be honest with yourself and recognize that the least you could do was look out for his well-being. 

Alright, maybe it _was_ kinda silly. He was a grown-ass monster, he had a job and a life outside of your friendship. He had a brother and loads of other people to look after him.

It didn’t stop you from asking him a simple question.

“Are you happy, Sans?”

His response varied. You asked it frequently enough that he knew it was coming, so it always seemed like he had practiced for when you did spring it on him.

“what’s not to be happy about, bud?”

“i’m peachy, pal.”

“why, you got a bone to pick with me?”

“you worry too much.”

One day, your entire world shifted with a single word.

“yeah.”

You did a double take, regretting it when you almost ran into a telephone pole. “Wait, what?”

If he saw you nearly make an imprint on the concrete, he didn’t show it. “you asked. i’m….happy. or gettin’ there.”

You couldn’t believe it. If you weren’t sure it would freak him the fuck out, you would’ve pinched yourself hard enough to make a noise of discomfort just to prove this was real life. His expression painted a genuine picture, too. He didn’t have that crinkle around his eyesockets or that telltale twitch of his browbone that gave away his tricks.

You stared at him pointedly. “Really?”

“i sure think so,” he laughed.

That was…good. Better than good. It was great! Fucking awesome! Something swelled in you and you took a few seconds to compose yourself. 

“Well...I’m glad! We should celebrate! There’s that new comic book store that just opened, we should totally go and look for some sci-fi stuff to add to your collection!”

To your surprise, he didn’t bite. Which was totally out of character for him, considering he was one of those people that tended to get a kick out of abandoning you at restaurants to foot the bill. Er, maybe he did that for your reaction more than because he was a cheapskate, but you get the point.

“nah. how ‘bout a date, instead?”

You stopped mid-step. That. Didn’t make sense. Did you hear him right? Your heart dropped down to your throat and you felt the familiar thrum of panic set in. 

“Um, what???”

“new movie came out today. called the date. i marked it on my calendar. supposed to be _the time of our life_.”

Of-fucking-course it would be a pun.

Were you disappointed? Oh, yeah. Crushed. You thought for sure this meant that your one-sided affections weren’t actually as pathetic as you thought they were. But he didn’t owe anything to you. And like Undyne said, he was fucking lazy. As if he would go through the effort to plan anything or even take a small pocket of time out of his day to ask you out. It still stung, but you had to play it off like it didn’t just feel like you were doused in an icy pool of rejection.

“Oh my gosh, Sans. And here I thought….”

His pupils flicked to you. “what?”

“N-nothing! Never mind! I’m just gonna keep walking.”

And you did. Fuck that. You weren’t going to make a scene. See, this was your problem. You misread things a lot. Whenever you developed any kind of romantic feelings for someone, you would overanalyze nearly everything they did in the hopes that there was some kind of hidden message that they felt the same.

But it never worked that way. He was blunt. He knew what he liked. He wouldn’t sit there and string you along or play games. Those were human things to do. Fuck, Alphys and Undyne just sat there and admitted their undying (heh) love for each other on their first real date. It only went up from there. Monsters were different from humans; they had all the time in the world, and they had so much love to give. They wouldn’t sit there and toy with each other just for the hell of it.

Man, humans sucked. You were so used to the concept of people being hot-and-cold with their affections that you thought of it like the norm, but when dealing with a skeleton monster, that was nowhere near accurate.

You hadn’t noticed Sans was calling out to you until he stepped in front of you to block the way.

“so that a yes?”

“A yes for what?”

“the date.”

You sighed and scratched at your nose vigorously to hide your irritation. You had thought he would just want you to drop him back home. You had driving anxiety like no other, it would probably give you a stomachache heading all the way downtown at this time of day. And on a weekend? Forget it.

“Ugh, well, what kind of movie is it? You know I can’t stand rom-coms.”

Mostly because fat chicks were almost always the comic relief side character and never the one being smooched on screen, but he didn’t need to know that. Only Alphys did. And probably Undyne, seeing as how the two couldn’t keep a damn thing from each other these days. 

“heh. you know that ain’t true. you like me well enough, right?”

It took you a minute. Romantic comedy. He did stand-up Underground and was apparently…romantic? Ha! As if! This was the guy that thought that it was creepy that you sent flowers to Toriel to congratulate her on her first day at school. Why? Because it was, in his own words, “a clear death threat”. Or what about that time when he just outright refused to even listen to your explanation of Valentine’s Day because he found the concept of candy hearts “deeply unsettling”?

“Good one. Very subtle.” You squinted at him. “If you really wanna go, then sure. Let’s go see ‘The Date’.”

Sans seemed to pick up on your desire not to get into the moving metal death trap and navigate your way around the busiest time of the day. His co-workers were trustworthy, and he knew you would be back before your car got towed, so he offered to take you there via shortcut. You were getting a lot more used to them now, considering he used them so often. Papyrus often scolded him for exerting magic for something so minimal, but you felt like that only made his older brother do it even more.

You followed him around the corner as he bent space and time. Monsters were so rad. In all your time Underground, you’d never met anyone who could do this. He and Papyrus were special. You didn’t ever think it was okay to ask about it, since it would be the equivalent of drilling Undyne on why she summoned spears, of all things. Magic was inherent. It reflected the monster’s personality, their essence. So you sitting there trying to deconstruct the why’s and how’s of their unique abilities was just downright rude. Well, at least that was how you saw things.

The newest and hippest place for any kind of show was BP Emporium. A new, snazzy theater owned by the man Burgerpants himself. 

You’d only met him a couple of times Underground, mainly when you were forced to take a vacation at the resort. Toriel loved you a lot, and that meant she shelled out for the good place: the nicest hotel that she could afford with a queen’s budget. You’d always refused, but she somehow roped you into it. She was good at that.

But this place? It was a far cry from the greasy, over-the-top trap he’d gotten ensnared in during his initial MTT fanboy years. This was the result of blood, sweat, tears and petty revenge. BP made a name for himself now. He was a star in his own movies, having been discovered by a big shot agent with an eye for talent.

You were happy for him. As weird as he was, it was good that the surface brought so many opportunities for monsters that they wouldn’t necessarily have gotten before.

You entered the chilly theater, standing in the long-ass line that stretched out all the way to the doors. All of the kiddies were off from school and finding something to do while their parents only hoped that they were staying out of trouble, so it was a lot more packed than usual.

Still. Waiting together wasn’t so bad. Sans told a lot of terrible movie-themed puns. You could never sit there and come up with anything on the spot, so he just fired them one after the other to try and get any kind of reaction out of you. Usually you acted like they legitimately weren’t funny, but both of you knew it was a lie.

“Next.”

You stepped up to the counter. The fox monster gazed at you with as much enthusiasm you’d expect from anyone working in the service industry. You felt him so hard.

“Hey, Sans.” He paused after he looked you up and down. “Hey, aren’t you the Queen’s right hand lady?”

“Oh. Uh, yeah, that’s me.” Even though Toriel wasn’t technically in charge any more, people still recognized her authority. It was a little difficult for a society with a monarchy instilled in their culture to just give that up overnight. Or...three and a half years. “How do you know Sans?”

“BP used to complain about having to pick up an extra shift as a janitor at the restaurant. I visited him a few times and we caught one of your shows. You’re a riot, man.” He gazed at you expectantly. “So, what’ll it be?”

You told him the name of the movie. If Sans took you here, there must have been a showing soon enough for you to get seats. You were really looking forward to eating some sour candy. You glanced over to see whether the snack bar was as busy.

“Uh, you must have the wrong movie there, sweetie. I know all about what’s new and hot Aboveground, and that just sounds made up.”

You flushed, embarrassed. “Oh.”

Full of rage! Screaming internally! You drew your full attention to Sans, who was still cool as a cucumber despite your panic. You couldn’t decide whether or not you wanted to drill him or frantically look at the board to see if there was something else you could spit out to make this less awkward.

“whoops. looks like it’s not playing here. guess we’re seein’ horror after all.”

You bit your tongue. That…wasn’t like him. He liked movies about space and documentaries about human history. You were the one that liked to be on the edge of your seat and scared out of your wits. 

“You sure? We can always go somewhere else.” You really didn’t want him to push himself if he was just trying to appease you, that was fucked up.

“then it wouldn’t be a date. two for zombie massacre, please.”

He slapped down a fat stack of gold. Whoa. Big spender. Actually, you’d never seen him look so pleased with himself before. And where was the obligatory ‘I forgot my wallet’ spiel? 

Hold up.

Did he just…?

Was that a…?

“Um, Sans…what’re you…”

You stayed rooted to your spot in front of the now glaring fox monster, not knowing what to make of all this. This couldn’t be real. Sans the Skeleton didn’t take people out. He pranked them and told embarrassing jokes. He definitely didn’t go through all the effort to persuade them into coming on a semi-romantic...get-together.

It was official. You’d lost your mind. Somewhere along the traveling through space and time, you entered a parallel universe where all your dreams came true. Except now that you were here, the unfamiliar atmosphere was starting to make you queasy. What was next? Finding out that you could actually live comfortably without just drifting from check to check?

When Sans realized you weren’t following him after he grabbed the tickets, he tromped back over to where you stood. 

“c'mon. don’t you know how to date an old pal? turn around and hold my hand.”


	2. yeah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for some reason this work wasn't showing up in the tags, so i apologize for that. ao3 is still kinda wonky.
> 
> regardless, hopefully the majority of you guys found it in the [series collection](http://archiveofourown.org/series/444466). if you ever feel like you've missed an update, check there to make sure. i'm really sorry about that.

The movie, as gory and cheesy as it was, barely held your attention for the next hour and a half. From the moment that you took Sans’ hand, you couldn’t even begin to sift through your thoughts and respond like a normal human being.

Undyne was wrong? Well, it wasn’t like she was the “be all, end all” authority on monsters or anything romance related. But she told you that you would have to be the one to make the move. You expected it at some subconscious level, and sort of just resigned yourself to hang in awkward crush limbo because you were too much of a coward to express any direct interest in him.

It didn’t help that you were trapped together in a pitch black room with nothing but fake blood and guts spattering across the silver screen.

Romantic. Yeah. Was the romance behind the gesture enough to make up for the gross atmosphere you were in? You felt like an idiot for agreeing. He didn’t even get a kick out of this. Most monsters weren’t very good with watching violence, even in their entertainment. Everything was usually so dramatized that it was more campy than thrilling.

And he just sat there, too. Drinking it in. A smile on his face. You stole glances at him now and then, but every so often he would return your gaze and you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed enough to look away.

But nothing had changed with him. You didn’t know what you were expecting, but he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Maybe it was his way of dealing with things. That or this was just part of some big, elaborate prank that stretched Too Far because he wasn’t aware of human customs.

Still. You shared candy. You laughed a few times (though nervously on your part). You had fun. Despite how crazy you felt inside, you didn’t want this to be a bad experience. So you did try to enjoy the most out of it without thinking too hard on what he told you.

When the credits rolled, you hopped out of your seats and were the last ones out of the door. Sans always thought it was awesome how some movies had little snippets at the very end. You thought it was just an excuse for him to take a short nap or laze around in the comfy chairs for a little while longer.

You watched as couples headed toward their cars together, arms linked and sharing warmth with the slight bite to the air. It was only because with all the buildings around that the sun was completely out of view; what you wouldn’t give for a sliver of light to warm your skin. Especially after that full hour and a half of sitting in that overly air-conditioned room. 

It was late now. Enough that people went off to the nearest restaurant to pick up some dinner. That gave you an idea of how to proceed with this…thing. Because if you thought about it too hard, you’d end up saying something stupid, you just knew it.

“You wanna go to Grillby’s?”

Sans leaned up against the wall. It was cooler now. The sun wouldn’t set for another half hour, but he was content to gaze up at the sky in the hopes that he would catch a glimpse of a particularly bright star.

“nah.”

That was just one weird thing to add to your ever-growing list of firsts tonight. “What? Why not?”

“not feelin’ it.”

Maybe the candy didn’t agree with him. A light snack, then? You wracked your brain to come up with something appropriate. “Oh. Well, there’s always Muffet’s cafe….”

Sans shifted from his position and looked like he was debating something. He probably had a million thoughts running through his head at all times. “you hungry?”

“Mmmmm, not really,” you admitted. “I just thought you would be. I ate a lot of crap in there.”

“let’s get some nice cream instead. i got somethin’ to show ya.”

Sweet! You weren’t going to say anything, but you definitely wanted something to ease the rug-burn-esque feeling on the flat part of your tongue. Curse your weakness to super sour hard candies that destroyed your taste buds.

Sans beckoned you to follow him and you moved out and away from one plane of existence to another.

When the atmosphere around you settled, you recognized the familiar, happy lettering of the cart in front of you. Nice cream! The delicious treat that would never hurt you, just your wallet. Your mouth watered when you thought about all of the sweet treats in stock. And the vendor was always so polite, too. His business must’ve been booming with the hot weather taking its toll on everybody.

“Hiya, guys! Nice to see some familiar faces!” His eyes lit up and his ears perked.

The Nice Cream Guy handed over a sticky cone to the little kid that hung around his cart. You watched them dart past and practically shove the entire treat into their mouth all at once.

Sans snickered off to the side. What was so funny?

“ _nice_ to see you, too. looks like your stand’s finally the _cream of the crop_.”

Ugh. So that was it. You shot him a warning look and that only amused him further.

“Take your time. I’ll be right back.” The vendor seemed distracted as he took off running in the same direction the kid went to. You heard sniffling and crying. Someone must’ve gotten a brain freeze after slamming that whole thing.

Still, you were too busy staring at the sea of brightly colored soft serve to care very much about anything else. 

“Ooh, new flavors! Cotton candy is my favorite. That or bubblegum.” It was so predictable. But if you were going to have ice cream, then you had to do it right! Eat something pink or blue and it was bound to be an awesome time.

“good to know.” Sans peered over the edge next to you. The cart was actually a bit taller than him, so he had to get on his tiptoes to look down and make his own decision.

You always thought it was strange how you’d gotten used to him always being…there. Little things like this didn’t even make you think twice any more. When you first met, you obsessed over the fact that you didn’t want to be condescending or look down on him, as it were. Now it was just normal. Same thing with Papyrus. You used to crane your neck up at him and feel so awkward and clumsy around his surprisingly limber self, but now it was just easy to work around his more naturally graceful presence.

Surprisingly, the height difference didn’t bother you. It was kind of strange at first, realizing that you had feelings for someone that really didn’t fit the ideal on so many different levels. But that was what made Sans…Sans. He didn’t need to stack up to the competition because there was none. 

Attraction was weird. It crept up on you. Settled on your shoulders and whispered into your ear when you least expected it. And now, here, with him…you couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. It was good to accept that, as terrifying as it might seem. You were genuinely happy that you fell for someone that was as good of a person as he was. It could’ve been so much worse.

“What’s yours?”

He shrugged, picking up the bright yellow miniature spoon used for samples. “dunno. never had any before.” He pocketed a whole fistful of them. You didn’t even wanna know.

Now that hurt you. Deeply. You couldn’t believe this. The two of them worked in such close proximity to each other Underground! They must have had some sort of conversation about the business or…anything. And if Nice Cream Guy was really worried about his place taking off, then why wouldn’t he try to convince Sans to come as a regular?

“Sans. Are you kidding me? Why?!”

“eh. never thought i’d get my _just desserts_.” He snuck a peek at you and his grin widened when he saw how distressed you were.

“Oh my god, you’re such a dork. Well, try a few samples. See which one you like.” You pushed the spoon he held in his hand closer to his chest. 

He didn’t budge. “think i’ll play it safe. hey bud, one chocolate for me, and a cotton candy for the weirdo that’s been followin’ me around all day.”

You huffed at him. Nice Cream Guy seemed to understand that he was joking, but you swore that for a brief second there was a look of panic on his usually chipper face.

You took your treat with great care, not wanting to drop it and have it melt all over the asphalt. Because despite how nice that breeze felt, it was still going to turn into a puddle if you were careless and let it fall.

“Hmm, okay. It’s gonna be like that? And here I was gonna let you try mine.”

He laughed. “aw. that’s not fair. how will i know if i like it if i don’t _try_  it?”

“Well, maybe you should’ve thought of that before you refused my generous offer.”

He just grinned at you and you caved. Damn him and his adorable expressions. They always got to you. You handed over the cone and he put it to his mouth, taking a long, decisive lick. His expression was unreadable. You waited for his verdict while resuming your own work on the sugary goodness.

“hmm, real sweet. i can see the appeal.”

“It’s not exactly a fan favorite, but I like it.” You thought about what it needed. Maybe some sugar crystals. Or…bubblegum pieces. Those were always fun! But only if they were the good kind, not the cheap ones that ended up like flavorless rubber in your mouth.

You weren’t sure what else he had planned, but you were content where you were. Hanging just outside of the park, sharing something like this together. Alternating cones so you could get your fill of both. Sans didn’t seem to mind mixing his germs up with a human’s, which made you feel a lot better. The last thing you wanted to do was force him and make him uncomfortable. Either he was entertaining you or he genuinely liked the flavor you chose, because he kept gesturing for you to pass it to him every few minutes.

When the cones were devoured and you wiped the remnants of the goo on your napkin, Sans said that he still had a surprise for you. You weren’t even close to forgetting about it, but you weren’t going to sit there and pressure him into getting to it. This was out of his element, so you would be as supportive as you could for whatever came next. Even if it wasn’t quite what you hoped for, which was…admittedly, up in the air right now.

He glanced down at his extended hand and perked a brow bone at you. Oh! He wanted to lead you there. Another shortcut? When you laced your fingers with his, you realized that you were just going to walk. So. What was the point of the hand-holding, then?

“let’s go. you’ll like this.”

Yeah.

You did.

You clambered up to the top of a hill that overlooked the entire city. With nightfall came the comforting blanket of the sky in all of its wondrous glory. A dark, inky blue contrast to the blinking and glittering lights below. The grass was soft against your ankles, the breeze just warm enough to send a pleasant shiver down your spine, and you couldn’t hear any of the distant traffic or obnoxious chatter of the people below. It was just you painted against a backdrop that would have made any artist jealous.

The sight was enough to put a smile on your face. More than that. It sent your heart stuttering in your chest, uncertain at how to word this to convey your feelings.

“Sans…this is incredible. How did you even find this?”

He shrugged noncommittally and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “walkin’ around.”

You peered at the winding roads below, watching the flicker of headlights as cars flowed past each other. From up here, everything looked both chaotic and systematic. Method to the madness. You’d never seen a view like this before, not with such familiar landscapes and a distant hum that embodied the very heart of your home in all of its diverse glory.

“It’s beautiful. Look, you can even see your guys’ house from up here!”

You pointed to the right, where Papyrus’ gleaming convertible was parked in the driveway. He must have just gotten off work. In the yard were terrible Halloween decorations of skeletons that Sans put up just to get a laugh out of the neighborhood kids and bring some whimsy to the sort of dreary street they lived on. Off to the side was that neat stack of various bones that Papyrus used to practice. He may or may not have left them out for any roaming dogs once you told him all about how cruel some people could be.

In the midst of it all, you hadn’t even thought to tell him how much this meant to you.

“You know, this is so unlike you.”

“gee, thanks.”

Whoops. That came out wrong. You stammered out a quick apology and tried to explain yourself. “I just mean that you putting effort into this….hangout.”

“date.”

You tore yourself away from the scenery below and faced him. The wind kicked up and crept past you while it swept your hair back. There was no moon out, not yet, but the myriad of colors behind you did wonders to paint him in an ethereal light. The shadows it cast on his features was enough to make your breath hitch.

“Date. Is this really a date?”

He never faltered. Not once. “sure hope so, it ain’t cheap.”

You could feel your cheeks burn now. This was…too much. Not in a bad way. But enough that you had to hide your embarrassment by returning your full attention to the view. Pretending not to notice his half-lidded expression and the sheer adoration written on his face. How the warmth of his bones seeped into your skin, nerves sparking to life. The gentlest tickle of wings flapping in the pit of your stomach, sending your chest searing with a confirmation of everything you knew already.

“Sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed. I never thought I’d be somewhere like this with you. Ever. Are you happy, Sans?”

His hand slipped into yours.

“yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **question of the day** : what did you name your fallen human?
> 
> hey, want to make sure i keep up with my schedule? **leave me a comment** to send my ass into overdrive!


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